1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anticancer prodrug capable of releasing an anticancer drug as an active ingredient, which is cleaved by caspase activated in vivo by radiation of radioactive ray or UV, a preparation method thereof, and use thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Now, cancer is a disease that ranks as the first leading cause of death in Korea, and the number of cancer patients will grow due to environmental factors, increasing life expectancy, western dietary patterns or the like. The most common cancer treatment is radiotherapy in conjunction with the conventional chemotherapy.
Many forms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are based on the principle of treating cancer by induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Further, the therapeutic effect can be more enhanced by using radiotherapy in conjunction with anticancer drugs used in the conventional chemotherapy.
However, although the conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy are excellent in inhibition of cancer cell growth and apoptosis, high doses of anticancer drugs or radiation are toxic to normal cells as well as to cancer cells, which causes severe side effects.
Therefore, targeted therapies have been recently developed, and they are new promising treatment options that have a different mechanism from the conventional chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Targeted therapies do not act on normal cells, but target cell signaling pathways involved in tumor growth, and receptor and genetic mutations, and thus they are the best anticancer drugs capable of improving drug efficacy while minimizing toxicity.
Accordingly, development of targeted anticancer drugs capable of minimizing damage to normal cells will lead to a remarkable improvement in the therapeutic effect of the conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy.